Ah, back to almost normal...

After a very busy summer, I am almost back into the swing of work and sewing/quilting. The distractions were all great ones - an anniversary/graduation celebration and a wedding. But now it's time to get back 'real life'.

This small crazy quilt piece is my July BJP - before the beads are added. This has been an interesting process even thought I am REALLY far behind at this point. I haven't even started June or August and here it is Sept.

I was going to put off starting July - even though I knew exactly what I wanted to do because I didn't have June done - then I remembered Robin saying that there are no BJP police and I jumped the line...... I do know what I want for August and will prepare the base for that one in the next few days. All of the bases will be crazy patched, it's the embellishments and stories that will change.

This is also becoming an ever changing work in progress. Each time I think I have worked through all of the kinks something seems to happen and I am back to re-thinking. Right now I am back to trying to figure out if I want to be able to display these pages as one whole unit or do I want to display them as individual pieces? Initially, I had decided that I wanted to be able to hook them together into a 'whole quilt' using the borders as a form of sashing. The problem is finding a border that will suit the different color that I already have in mind.....and until I figure the single vs the whole out I can't finish the edges......a proverbial Catch 22.
The next blog will have some pix of the piece with some of the beading done and an explanation of the fabric/color choices......

Argh!!!


I have decided that bruised ribs are more annoying than serious. They allow you to do mundane stuff - like washing dishes without twinging - but don't allow you to do fun stuff - like crazy quilt patch sewing - pain free. Seems there is a motion in there that I have been totally unaware of before, that pulls on side muscles as I use the rotary cutter and raise and lower the presser foot on the sewing machine.


This wouldn't be really annoying if I weren't signed up for the Bead Journal Project - BJP - http://beadjournalproject.blogspot.com/. And I have my June page all figured out, but I need my base or crazy patch to stitch on.....double argh!! The hand sewing of the beads doesn't bother my ribs, so once I have the base done I'm off to the races.....


I have had a few setbacks to my original focus - which is to try and translate embroidery stitches into beadwork. Seems it's already been done and is in a published book - Embeadery by Margaret Ball. I'm still going ahead but also plan to pick up Margaret's book and see how she approached the stitches. Just seems to re-enforce the feeling that there aren't any truly new ideas out there.....just different interpretations....

Oh, well - that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger......one way or another I will figure this out......